The Heavy Paw of Vengeance
by The Oracle
Summary: Master Tigress stumbles upon an enemy that has some very personal ties to her past, and enlists the help of an old mystic so that she may find, and destroy them all. A KFP/Mortal Kombat crossover. Rated T for violence.
1. Vanishing Fist

The following is a crossover between KFP and Mortal Kombat. I do not own the rights to either of these franchises, nor do I intend to profit from this story.

I also may take a few liberties with a few of the character portrayals, but i hope they're not too detrimental. Enjoy!

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Master Tigress was hard at work as usual, up with the rising sun as she practiced all of her best maneuvers, a blur in the sky

Master Tigress was hard at work as usual, up with the rising sun as she practiced all of her best maneuvers, a blur in the sky almost at times, as she leapt and flipped about through the air. It would have been amazing for anyone else, but for her, it was another typical morning.

That was, until she heard a voice calling out to her.

"Help! Help me!"

She turned to see an old cheetah dressed in red and white robes, gasping for air as he ran in her direction, and eventually dropped onto his knees in front of her, bowing rapidly.

"Please! Help! He's going to kill me!" The old cheetah begged Tigress as he tugged at her clothes.

"Slow down, slow down…" Tigress narrowed her eyes as she got a closer look at him. "Who's trying to kill you?"

Before he could even answer, something suddenly shot out behind him, and wrapped around his neck. The old cheetah gasped and struggled for air, as he gripped at what appeared to be the end of a long whip.

Tigress quickly backed off, and looked up to see the figure of what appeared to be a snow leopard, dressed in a grey ninja's outfit. He held out his powerful whip, as an aura of smoke seemed to surround his form, pulling the cheetah back into his arms.

"Go back inside, female…" The Ninja addressed Tigress. "This does not concern you…"

"Your presence on the sacred grounds of Master Shifu gives me every right to interfere." Tigress shot back to the ninja. "What do you want with that old man?"

"Do not test me, female…" The Ninja pointed to Tigress. "Or you shall soon be joining this miserable old wretch in the afterlife…"

Tigress growled a little as she got into a fighting stance, as The ninja simply tightened his whip a little more around the neck of the cheetah. If she made one move towards them, he would have no problem with snapping his neck right then and there.

Then something else happened, which the Ninja, known as Smoke in his circle, did not expect. He felt something smash into him from behind…something big.

Po had spotted what was going on while making breakfast for the whole dojo, and decided to assist in the matter, giving Smoke a good old fashioned belly-bounce from behind, sending the ninja flying.

"Whoa…these are very dangerous." Po mused, as he pulled the whip free from the neck of the old cheetah.

"Ah…" he gasped and looked up at the panda. "Thank you, young one."

Po smiled and nodded, before he suddenly saw Smoke flying right back towards him, with his foot extended in a kick, as he left a trail of thick smoke in his wake.

Po grabbed the cheetah and turned his back, ready to take the blow for him. He didn't feel anything though, as Tigress flew in from the opposite direction, and smacked his chest with a jump kick of her own.

The force of the blow caused the headband smoke was wearing to fall out from under the hood of his mask, landing near tigress as she landed on her feet, and he fell to his back, before rolling and rising back to his feet.

Po prepared to fight alongside his partner, before she slowly reached down and lifted up the headband. She saw familiar characters written on the cloth…

"Lin Kuei…" She spoke lowly, as her eyes narrowed even more, her face taking an even more stern and angry shape, as she then motioned for Po to back off a moment later.

"Take the old man to safety, Po…" she spoke, her eyes still focused on Smoke. "Leave this one to me."

"Yes Ma'am!" Po nodded quickly, as he escorted the old cheetah away from the scene.

Tigress walked slowly towards smoke, who had by now recovered his whip, and gotten into a fighting stance with it.

"Who is your commander?" Tigress asked calmly.

"Go to hell…" Smoke growled at her.

"I know of your despicable clan, demon…" Tigress snarled a bit. "and now that I know it's close by, I won't rest until every one of them is dead…just tell me who your superior is, and where they are, and I MIGHT make your passing as pleasant as I can."

"I don't intend to die as a sniveling rat…" Smoke narrowed his eyes at Tigress. "So you can either go to hell, like I told you before…or, I can send you there myself."

With that, he flung his whip out towards tigress, who caught the end in her right paw, as the end of it wrapped around her wrist. She then used a burst of strength to pull the ninja towards her, as she prepared to meet him with a hard straight punch.

Smoke vanished however, just as she was about to hit him, using a burst of his ninja magic to teleport. He then suddenly came up from the floor under Tigress, and nailed her with a leaping uppercut.

Tigress grunted as she flipped in the air, and landed on all fours, preparing to meet Smoke head-on as he dropped his whip and leapt towards her. As he landed, the two began to exchange punches and kicks at an amazing speed, one combatant matching the other. Smoke was favoring punches mostly, as he attempted to punch her head, then chest, then belly, getting parried everytime.

Tigress then found an opening, as she nailed him in the center of the chest with a well placed left hand. She then jumped behind him before he could realize what was going on, and wrapped her right arm around his neck in a chokehold, giving Smoke a taste of his own medicine.

Smoke used his magic again though, vanishing out of her arms in a flash of smoke, before reappearing near his whip. Tigress quickly jumped out of the way as he got the weapon and swung it hard, the tip narrowly missing her. He then twirled it through the air, and lashed it at her again, as she rolled out of the way once again.

Tigress then leapt at him as she saw the right moment, and attempted to take him down with a jump kick. Smoke simply vanished again however, and by the time she landed, he lashed out the whip again, snapping the end around her neck.

Tigress choked and gasped, as she tried in vain to pull the whip from her neck, feeling it constricting around her windpipe. Smoke savored the moment, as he stepped forward, bracing the whip with his other arm and tightening the grip it had on her neck.

"A valiant effort, female…" Smoke smiled under his mask. "But there's one thing your master should have taught you…never try to fight a teleporter!"

With that, he withdrew a katana sword he kept sheathed in his back, and whipped it at her, aiming for her chest with it. She saw it flying towards her, as she then dropped her right paw, catching the hilt of the sword as she then spun and cut the whip with the blade, freeing her windpipe as she ran towards smoke with it.

Smoke teleported again, but she was prepared this time, as she quickly turned and threw the sword behind her. It sailed through the air as it met with the teleporting Smoke, impaling him through the belly.

"Gaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Smoke cried out as he fell to the ground, onto his knees. He tried to pull the sword out, but was stuck inside him for good, as Tigress walked to him slowly.

"Who is your master?…" She asked him again.

Smoke then looked up at her defiantly, and pulled down his mask, revealing his snow leopard face for the first time. He looked almost like Tai Lung, only a little younger. He then spit in her direction, and jammed the blade further into his gut, before he suddenly went limp, and collapsed onto his side, dead.

Tigress looked down at his body stoically, before looking down at the Lin Kuei headband that she now possessed, in her paw.

"Whoa…" Po exclaimed, as he returned to the scene with the Old Cheetah, and Master Shifu.

"Master Tigress…" Shifu walked to her slowly. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry, Master…" Tigress looked down for a moment. "He left me no choice."

Shifu then looked over at the headband she held, and noticed the Lin Kuei symbol on it…his eyes immediately went wide at the sight.

"Are you sure this fellow left you no choice?" Shifu questioned her. "Are you sure it wasn't out of vengeance?"

"Vengeance?" Po quirked his eyebrow a bit.

Tigress did not answer him, as she then walked over to the cheetah.

"Who are you? Why have I not seen you in the valley before?" She asked him.

The cheetah was much more relaxed now as he answered. "My name is Tong Lau…and I am a wanderer. I walk this world and study it in depth, and I have thus seen many things on it…including those that others were not meant to see."

Tigress got closer to his face. "Like the headquarters of the Lin Kuei?"

Lau hesitated for a moment…but then nodded slowly. "Indeed…and I can tell you have your reasons for hating them, as I do…" He looked over at the body of Smoke on the ground.

He then turned back to Tigress and spoke to her again. "They stole something from me, something very valuable…They sent Smoke to kill me before I could get it back…what they intend to do with it, I know not…but it could be potentially fatal for all those around them."

Tigress nodded slowly, as she then turned to Master Shifu. "Do I have your permission to escort this man, Master?"

Shifu wanted to protest at first…but she looked up into her eyes, saw more determination than ever in them, and realized that dissuading her from this was pointless.

"Permission Granted…" Shifu sighed as he spoke.

Tigress bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master…." She then led Lau away from the temple, and slowly towards the outskirts of the valley.

Po walked towards Master Shifu, befuddled. "Master? What's going on? Who are the Lin Kuei? And why is Master Tigress so interested in them?"

Shifu walked slowly as he sighed again and spoke. "The Lin Kuei…a name I hoped I would never hear again." He turned to face Po slowly. "The Lin Kuei are a fearsome team of warriors, masters of a very ancient form of Ninjitsu…they were once champions of light, as we are… but years ago, the turned to darkness, under the leadership of a fearsome spectre."

"Spectre? You mean, like a ghost?" Po scratched his head.

"Something like that…his name was Scorpion, and he recruited other powerful warriors to his cause, with the promise of never-ending life and power…they are nothing more than puppets now, slaves to his desire to destroy all that's good in this world."

"But what does all this have to do with Tigress?" Po furrowed his brow, confused.

"My boy…" Shifu looked him straight in the eyes. "There's something I haven't told you about Master Tigress. Her family in the valley is her adopted family."

"Adopted?"

Shifu nodded slowly. "Tigress' birth parents were both murdered by the Lin Kuei…"

Po's jaw dropped as he looked wordlessly out beyond the valley.

"Come, Po…" Shifu tugged on his arm. "There is nothing that even I can do to quell such a vengeful spirit…the others will be needing their breakfast."


	2. Quick as Lightning

"Your parents, you say

"Your parents, you say?…"

Lau listened with interest as he led Master Tigress through the forests outside the Valley.

"Yes…" She responded. "I was too young to remember a lot of it, but I was rescued by another tiger, the only other one to survive the Lin Kuei's attack on our village. He was only 17, and he'd been badly wounded by one of the warriors, but he managed to carry me all the way to the Valley…he told everyone what had happened, before he finally died from his wounds."

"My my…" Lau looked back at her with concern. "That's quite a mark to have to grow up with…no wonder you always seem so determined."

Tigress tried not to think about it anymore as she looked right back at the Cheetah. "What else do you know of The Lin Kuei? You've already mentioned Scorpion…where has he been all this time?"

"No one really knows…" Lau spoke ominously as he stared off into the distance. "In recent years, he's remained in the shadows…some say he has begun to lose hold of his physical form, which is why he may have taken the amulet from me…it contains mystic powers, that links its wearer between this world, and the afterlife."

Tigress nodded slowly as she followed. "Go on…"

Lau continued to lead her through the hilly terrain, looking back at her every so often as he spoke.

"These days, any dark deeds done by the Lin Kuei are under the supervision of Scorpion's second-in-command, Sub-Zero, master of the frozen fist… You have already defeated one of his underlings, Smoke, the late master of the Vanishing fist…still among the living are Rain, master of the Lightning fist…Reptile, master of the Poison fist…and Ermac, master of the Psychic fist."

"Sounds just like the challenge I've been waiting for…" Tigress spoke as she followed, looking to her left and right alertly.

"Do not take them lightly, child…" Lau's tone of voice became one of warning at that point. "You barely managed to defeat Smoke, if you recall…he was nothing compared to what lies ahead, if you intend to go on with your mission."

"I do not intend to turn back, Lau…" Tigress narrowed her gaze at him slightly. "My parents deserve justice for what was done to them by The Lin Kuei…they attacked because they considered my people a threat, and by the gods, I will live to prove them correct in that assumption!"

Lau just nodded slowly. "Very well…I shall lead you to where they dwell, so that you may retrieve my amulet, and I may resume my watch over this vast world."

"Deal…" Tigress smiled lightly for a second, before continuing to follow her new ally.

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The torchlights flickered in the dark, brown wood of the Lin Kuei dojo. Smoke filled the air from the numerous fires in the area, adding to the sense of foreboding in this environment. A large standard was carved into a wall at the top of a small stairway, in the shape of a black scorpion, the Lin Kuei's symbol for many years.

It was from the top of the stairway that the form of Sub-Zero slowly descended, an aura of cold air surrounding his form. Small parts of his Siberian Tiger form showed through his blue uniform and black mask, which covered half of his face.

"What news do you bring?" He asked aloud, his question directed to Ermac.

"I'm afraid it's rather dire, sir…" Ermac responded. The grey fox was dressed in similar manner as Sub-Zero, only with no noticeable aura…plus the cloth was blood red, instead of blue. "Smoke has recently been slain."

Sub-Zero closed his eyes for a moment. "A terrible loss…" He then reopened them and gazed lowly at his comrade. "Who perpetrated this outrage?"

Ermac closed his eyes, and outstretched his right paw, causing it to glow in a strange, green light, as he concentrated.

"She calls herself Master Tigress…" He spoke softly, his eyes still closed. "She hails from the Valley nearby…" his eyes then shot back open. "And he is with her…he is leading her to our position!"

"Then we must stop them both in their tracks!" Sub-Zero quickly turned as he spoke. "Rain!"

The figure of a black panther appeared, dressed in a dark violet uniform, to match the color in his eyes. "Yes master?"

"Follow Ermac's directions to the location of our new rivals…Kill them both on sight." Sub Zero spoke coldly as he pointed a finger at the panther.

"It shall be done sir…" Rain bowed obediently.

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Lau had now led Tigress out of the forest, as the two were now looking at the banks of a wide river, miles away from the valley now.

"Right across this river…" Lau pointed the way. "And over those treacherous mountains, you shall find the path to the headquarters of the Lin Kuei.

"Where do we cross?" Tigress asked him, looking closely along the water. "I see no boats or canoes…"

"There is a bridge…" Lau pointed the way as he walked again. "Not too far from here…it's a bit rickety, but it's your best chance, since you don't look like the swimming type."

"Indeed not…" Tigress frowned lightly at the water, before following him once more.

Lau tread carefully along the bank of the river as he led Tigress closer and closer to the bridge…she then began to feel a bit…uneasy…as if she could sense something watching her.

"What is it?" Lau asked, as he noticed her walking more cautiously.

"I don't think we're alone…" Tigress spoke as she looked up every so often.

"I'm sure it's just your imagination…" Lau answered, dismissively. "You warriors…always thinking there's something, or someone out to get you…"

He then suddenly felt something grab him by his robes…

Tigress spun back from looking behind her, to see the form of Rain, holding the old cheetah up by his collar.

"I thought we told you to stay away from here!" Rain growled.

"Want to try that on someone your own age, coward?" Tigress growled back at him, before getting into a fighting stance.

Rain's eyes widened for a moment, before he gently dropped Lau, and looked at his new opponent in interest.

"So you're the one who killed Smoke, eh?" Rain mused. "I told that idiot he was getting sloppy…"

"I'm on my way to find your leader…" Tigress asserted herself once more. "You can either stand down, or die with him…"

"Ha!" Rain crossed his arms for a moment. "Fancy you making a threat towards the likes of me!"

He then held out his right arm, as a bolt of lightning suddenly shot out from nowhere, striking the ground just a few feet from where tigress was standing.

Tigress was thrown back by the blast quite a few feet, before landing on all fours, still facing her opponent.

"So that was what he meant by 'lightning fist'" She mused for a split second, as she jumped and twirled out of the way of another lightning strike, meeting him where he stood with a jump kick.

Rain stumbled as her foot connected with his face, quickly swinging at her with his right arm…she grabbed it with her own arm, and elbowed him in the sternum quickly, before using the same arm to backhand him on the face.

He stumbled back again, as he faced Tigress, who got into another stance.

"I've misjudged you, it seems…" he quirked his brow a bit as he adjusted his mask. "No matter…I've no trouble with rising to even bigger challenges."

He shot electricity out of his paw this time, aiming it straight at Tigress, as she dodged it, and took Lau by the paw.

"Quick! Show me the way to that bridge!" She shouted.

Lau nodded quickly as the two ran to it together, all the while dodging lightning bolts from Rain, who remained in pursuit.

The two eventually arrived at the bridge, as she pushed him onto it a little. "Go! Get to the other side, I'll meet you there!"

Lau nodded again as he ran across the bridge, leaving tigress to face down Rain. The ninja leapt toward her in a jump kick, catching her in the chest with it before she had time to dodge it.

Tigress grunted and backed off a bit, feeling the bridge sway a bit under her feet, as she then saw Rain running towards her, attempting to nail her with a running punch. She quickly rolled under him on the wood as he passed her, and got him with a sweep to the legs.

A few planks broke under her form as she rolled back onto her feet, staying mindful of the condition of the bridge, as Rain carefully tried not to fall off as he flipped back onto his feet.

"I hate to burst your bubble…" Tigress spoke as she steadied herself. "But this is not the first time I've fought someone on a bridge."

"No…" Rain responded. "But it shall be your last!"

He raised his hand, and brought another bolt of lightning down. Tigress flipped away just in time, as the bolt smashed into the bridge, destroying many more planks. She then flipped back towards him once more, as he sent down another bolt, destroying most of the planks in back of her as well. She landed on solitary, but sturdy plank, and balanced herself with a determined look in her eyes.

Rain laughed at what he saw as a pathetic attempt by Tigress to keep herself alive…he was unaware of the fact she was studying the very strong rope that was keeping the bridge from falling down altogether. She took her time, and waited for the cocky ninja to make his move…

He then raised his hand, to summon a finishing bolt…Tigress immediately sprung into action, hoping onto the left side of the bridge's rope, and using her strong legs to bounce off the springy surface, sending her high into the air.

Rain quickly tried to shoot another bolt at her, but she zipped right past him, and gave him a jump kick on her way back down…one that he could feel smashing into his ribcage. He yelled out in pain as she landed on the still-whole section of the bridge where he stood, before trying to nail her with a hard right kick.

Tigress immediately blocked the kick with both of her wrists, before striking him hard across the left side of his face with a right hand, making him stumble and grunt once more as she then moved in for the kill.

She yelled out in a rage as she let loose with a flurry of fists and feet…every time he tried to block one, she smack him with the other, each blow landing on his form with incredible force.

Rain fell back, clutching at his form, as Tigress narrowed her gaze at him.

"Move aside…"

Rain breathed heavily, before growling out in anger…he would have sooner died than take orders from the likes of her. He lunged at her with a hard right hand…

Tigress saw the move coming, as she grabbed his arm, and rolled with him, flipping him over onto the surface of the bridge as he hit the wood hard…so hard, in fact, that the wood smashed, sending him plummeting into the water below.

Rain yelled out as he felt himself falling, before the splash of the water's impact silenced him. Tigress looked down, and saw some blood rising to the surface, around the jagged rocks in this particular part of the river.

Tigress sighed a bit…she had always been a little uneasy about taking the life of another soul…but once more, she thought, he had left her little choice. She then gingerly hopped over the new gap in the bridge, before she ran over to the other side to meet with Lau, who was patiently waiting for her…

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Some time had passed now, since the batter over the bridge, as the water calmly rushed over the banks of the wide river.

Over a collection of rocks near the bank, a single black hand reached up to grab the top one…

Rain pulled himself up slowly. He had indeed taken a nasty fall, as his numerous cuts and bruises showed, but the water had washed him to safety before he could drown. He painfully adjusted his jawbone, as he then picked up the facemask of his hood, which had fallen off.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that…" He grumbled in pain as he looked over to where Tigress and Lau had gone off. "Just you wait and see…and it won't be a simple kill either…I'll keep you in pain for just as long as I can…"


End file.
